Some Preliminary Thoughts on Divorce and Remarriage

Editor’s note: Baptist Bulletin ran a three article set on the topic of divorce and remarriage in the November/December 2020 issue. Below is the first, an introduction by the magazine’s managing editor.

By David Gunn

Discussion

What Does God Hate?

Body

“Marriage is not a picture of the Gospel when it is permanent. Marriage is permanent when it is a picture of the Gospel. A man physically, emotionally, spiritually or sexually abusing a woman (or child, or anyone) is preaching a FALSE GOSPEL.” - SBC Voices

Discussion

When May Christians Divorce?

Periodically, throughout the years, I’ve re-visited the “when can Christians legitimately divorce” issue. First time was before seminary, when someone asked me if she had biblical grounds to leave a spouse who beat her. Second time was at seminary, where I was taught the “only for adultery and desertion” approach. Third, fourth and fifth times have been over the past decade-ish, since I’ve been a pastor.

Well, I come before you to declare I’ve figured everything out …

Just kidding.

Discussion

Mars, Venus ... and John Wayne?

The Church in America has had some interesting ideas about what roles within the marriage ought to look like. Some good. Some bad. Some … are just weird. We looked at the wife’s responsibilities in the last article. Now, we turn to the husbands.

Discussion

Mars, Venus ... and Eden?

If you’re a Christian who wants to think the right way about marriage, you’ll have to decide whether God has anything to say about roles of men and women … and whether you care.

Are male and female distinctions just learned behavior? Are there no bedrock differences? Good differences? Wholesome differences? Complementary differences? Is all this just socialization?

Discussion

Decentering Marriage

Body

“The amount of divorce and heartbreak and sexual confusion and even suicide in the lives of these individuals who have apparently attempted to prioritize friendship over marriage raises a question about causation: does prioritizing friendship over marriage actually doom healthy marriages? The cases presented in this article would seem to suggest so.” - CBMW

Discussion